Elevator



Feb. '20, 1923. 1,446,339. S. P. ERWIN.

ELEVATOR. v

FILED JUNE 1, 1921. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

jfE/W/zza.

INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 2t), 1923.

SAMUEL r. nswnv, or SANTA nos-A, ont ronnui.

ELEVATOR.

Applieation filed June 1, 1921. Serial No, 474,092.

To all whom it may concern- Be it known that I, SAMUEL P. ERWIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Rosa, in thecounty of So-noma and State of California have invented certain.

new and useful Improvements in Elevators, of which the. following isa specification.

This invention appertains to improvements in elevators, and more particularly to a type of the same adapted for use in i stores, Warehouses and the like,wh ereby to facilitate the handling of certain classes of merchandise therein.

The principal object of the invention to provide for an elevatingjmechanism of the character mentioned, and one particularly adapted for facilitating the handling of loose materials in sacks and the like, and for the elevating of an open sackand effecting the discharge of the. contents of the same into bins or receptacles located at a distance above the floor level of the store room or building.

Another object of the invention is to proride for an elevating apparatus or hoisting device of the class referred to, and one embodying a novel means whereby the same is retained in its positions of operation againstaccidental displacement or .rno-vement, but

may be readily, easily and quickly inanipu lated for the movement thereof from one op? erative position to another.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the preferred embodiment'of the in.- vention resides in the certain novel and use: ful construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which I Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof showing the carriage in dumping position,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same showing the carriage in its lowered position,

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 83 of Fig. 1, i

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of the lower portion of one of the rails and of the hoisting carriage associated therewith,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side eleration ofthe portion as shown in Fig. 4c,

, and,

Fig. 6 1s a transverse section taken on the line 6- 6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawing, wherein similar characters otreference designate corresponding parts the several views thereof,

the numerals 1 0 and 11 indicate. a pair of rails or traclgways, formed of channelled iron or timber as desired, with the open sides thereof opposedone to the other, andheld-in spaced parallel relation by means of end cross bars 12 and 13.

Slidably mounted between the rails 1:2

an open frame consisting of a pair of oppoand 13 s a carriage, preferably in the form of sitely disposed f ame members or p pe sections 1% and 15 lying parallel tothe railsli) and -11 and apair of transversely extending frame ne nbers or p pe sections ldand 1?, i

the opposite ends of the lower section iii/being coupled to the lower ends of the sections I 14 and 15 by ineans of four-waycouplings 18, while the opposite ends of the upper section 17 ar.e.. coupled to the upper ends of the sect-ions 1d and 15 by means ofa pair of four-way couplings 19. Extend ng ontwardly of the couplings 18 and the couplings.

19, in alinement with theopposite ends'of the transverse frame members or pipe sec,

tions 16 and 17, are short stub members or sp ndles 20 upon WlllCll are revolubly mounted the rollers 21, which are arranged inrolling engagement with the lower side wall of i the channels of the rails 10 and 11. Extend ing forwardly of the couplings lfi) are the opposite leg portions 22 of a substantially Ueshaped frame member which has its con nected portion 23 upwardly and angularly inclined from points 24: medially of the lengthof the leg portions 22, with the transversely extending connected portion of the same lying in a plane slightly above that of;

the top faces of the rails 103ml 11. Depends ing from the couplings 18 in line with the vertical frame members or pipe sections 1t and 15, are a pair of leg menihersor pipe sections 24: and 25 having their lowerend portions 24: and 25 sligl itly and angnlarlgv bent in an inward direction to lie in a vertical plane with respect to the rearward inclination of the carriage and its supporting rails, these angnlarly bent end portions are bifurcated to have journaled in each a roller 26.

Mounted for pivot-alter tilting movement on the transversely extending connected portion 23 of the U-shaped member of the carriage, by means of a pair of spaced bearings I or brackets 27 secured in position on the un- 1 end of the same, are a pair of rollers 29' arranged in rolling engagement with the channels of the rails 10 and 11.

For elevating andlowering the carriage on the rails 10 and 11, one end of a flexible element-or cable is secured, as at 31, to

the lower"transversely extending frame member or pipe section 16, and extends therefrom upwardly of and "medially between the rails 10 and 11, and is trained over a roller 82, bracketed-as at 33, on the lower face ofthe upper cross bar 13', and from thence downwardly to. a winding roller 34 which is journaled transversely of the rails and on the lower faces thereof at a point inwardly of the lower ends of the same. The shaft 35, of the roller 34, has one end projecting outwardly of the rail 11 to receive thereon a ratchet wheel'36, and a hand crank37, a pawl 38 being pivoted on the outer side face of the rail 15 for cooperation with the ratchet wheel 36,

whereby to hold the carriage in any desirer position on the railslO and 11.

At the upper ends of the rails 10 and 11,

" there is provided a pairof upwardly andinwardly curved guide members 39, and the same are bolted in position on the inner faces of the outer side walls of the rails 10 and 11, and in alinement with the upper flanges or walls of the channels thereof, suitable portions of the latter being cut away to permit of such desired arran', ;e-

ment. It is to be noted, that the thickness of the guide members 39 is slightly greater than that of the upper wall or flange of'the channels of the rails 10 and 11, and that the upper faces of the members 39 are arranged flush' with the upper faces thereof, so that the lower faces of these members project'below the lower faces of the same,

and that'the connected ends of the members lie in the path of therollers 21 of the carriage, and prevent the same from leaving the rail channel, when the carriage is hoisted to the upper end of the rails. p

In the use of the elevator, whicn has been designed primarily for the hoisting of opened sacks or any other article or merchandise handled in the store, warehouse or on the farm and thedumping of the contents of the same into bins or receptacles, such as are indicated as at a. a sack 7) is placed within the support or carrier 28, on the carriage, when the latter isin'its'lowered position, and with its'open end upwardly thereof, when upon the turning of the cranl handle 37, the cable 30 will be WOHHCl ORtO 29 following the curvature of the guide member 39, the forward or upper end of the support or carrier 28 taking a position inwardly of the opening in the top of the bill, when the material contents of the sack will be discharged from the open end thereof and into the bin] To prevent the sack Z) from leaving the carrier, during the dumping operation, .a pair of hooks 40 are arranged on the lower end wall of the'latter, and are adapted to have their bent pointed ends forced intothe lower end portion of) the sack, whenthe same is placed in position, and prior to the elevating operation of the carriage. To facilitate the tilting movement of the support or carrier 28 to tacted by the bottom wall of the support or carrier in its movements as stated. Upon the releasing of the pawl 88, and turning the hand crank 37 in a reversed direction, the cable 30 will be unwound from the winding roller 34, and the carriage will be returned to lowered position. The initial re-. turning movement of the carriagewill effect the tilting of the support of carrier 28 back to its normal position thereon, and its rollers 29 will be directed backwardly into the channels of the rails 10 and 11 by the guides 39. V

For the purpose of supporting the track frame or rails 10 and 11 in permanently inclined operative elevating or hoisting nosition, a forwardly or oppositely inclined frame is provided and the same comprises a pair of spaced legs 42, one having its upper end connecting the rail 10 and the other the rail 11, as'at 43, and a pan-of hori- 'zontally spaced transversely extending bars or braces 44, the lower ends of these legs with the latter, footlever 46 is pivotally mounted, as at 47, to a plate or support 48 which is clamped in position, by means riage. The inner end portion 46', ofthe foot lever 4C6, is rearwar dly curved to, provide a cam-like surface adaptedto act on a roller 50 which is journaled, as at 5 1, to the under face of the rail 11, whereby when the pressureof the foot of the operator is exerted in a downward direction on the foot engaging portion of the lever 46, the track frame or rails will be lifted from the ground or floor level and the weight of the apparatus or device will be borne directly on the rollers 26, of the carriage, and correspondingly distributed on the rollers or casters a5 of the rear supporting frame legs 42. To retain the track frame or rails 10 and 11 thereof, in raised position throughout the movement of the apparatus from one 0p erative, position to another, at the limitiof the downward movement of the foot lever 46, a resilient latch device 52, which is se cured in position on the plate or support 4-8, will engage over the foot portion of the lever, and will hold the same against retrograde movement under the weight of the track frame or rails, substantially as shown in 5. To lower the trackway orirails l0 and 11, and to release the carriage for operative movement thereon, the operator will release the latch member 52 from its engagement with the foot lever 46, and the trackway or rail frame will be lowered to have its lower end again rest on the ground or floor level for the next hoisting and dumping operation of the apparatus or de-' vice.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that the invention provides for an extremely simple and inexpensive con struction of elevating and dumping device, and one which is capable of universal use, in stores, and warehouses or on the farm for the handling of all kinds of powdered, granular, or other 5011118 ofloose m aterials in bulk, or in packages, or articles of merchandise as the case may be, effectively dumping such materials in the bins provided for the purpose, or to carry the same to the upper floors of a buil'ling or the like, and thus efficiently perfoiming such function with a minimum cost in labor and, time for its proper transportation from one point to another and of its n'lanipulation when in position.

llaving fully described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In an apparatus of the class described, a portable elevating trackway, an upright carriage movably mounted on said trackway. said carriage having its top extended outwardly with respect to said trackway to provide a carrier support, means for elevating and lowering said carriage on said trackway, and a material carrier pivotally mounted at a point between the transverse center thereof and its lower end on the said carrier support whereby the upper end of the carrier will extend rearwardly and into said trackway and releasable for tilting movement for t P g of malarial therefromatthe limit of the upward movement of the carriage.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a portable elevating trackway, an upright carriage movably mounted on said trackway, said carriage having its top extended outwardly with respect to said ,trackway to provide a carrier support, means for elevating, and lowering said carriage on said trackway, and a material carrier pivotally mounted at a point between the transverse center thereof and its lower end on the said carrier support whereby the upper end of the carrier will extend rearwardly and into said traclrway and releasable for tilting movement for the dumping of material therefrom at the limit of the upward movement of the carriage, and means projecting from the upper end of said trackway for directing the tilting movement of said carrier. i

ln an apparatus of the class described, a portable elevating trackway, an upright carriage movably mounted on said trackway, said carriagehaving its-topextended outwary with respect to said trackway to provide a carrier support, means for elevating and lowering said carriage on said trackway, and a material carrier pivotally mountedat a point between the transverse center thereof and'its lower end on the said carrier support whereby the upper end of the carrier will extend rearwardly and into said trackway, and releasable for tilting movement for the dumping of material,

therefronrat the limit of the upward mo ement of the carriage, and means projecting from the upper end of said trackway for limiting the upward movement of the carriage and for directing a tilting movement ofithe carrier. v

In an apparatus of the class described. a portable elevating t'aclrway. a carriage mounted for rolling; movement along; said trackway and having an outwardly projecting end, means for hoisting and lowering said carriage on said tracltway. scans for limiting the upward movement of said carriage, a material carrier pivota ly mounted eccentrically thereof on the upper end of said carriage and normally held in material supporting position. rollers carried by said carrier and arranged in engagement with said trackway for normally retaining the same in such material supporting position, said rollers being adapted to leave the trackway at the limit of the upward movement of said carriage to release said carrier for free tiltingmovement on its pivotal connection with said carriage, and guides at the upper end of said trackwayfor directing the tilting movement of said carrier to material dumping position. I

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a portable elevating trackway, a carriage mounted-for rolling movement along said trackway, means for hoisting and lowering said carriage on saidtrackway, means for limiting the upward movement of said carriage, a material carrier pivotally mounted on the upper end of said carriage and normally held in material supporting position, rollers carried by said carrier and arranged in engagement with said trackway for normally retaining the same in such material supporting position, means at the lower end of the carrier for securing thereon'a mate rial filled sack inposition with its open end upwardly thereof, said rollers being adapted to leave the trackway at the limit of the upper movement of said carriage to release said carrier for free tilting movement on its pivotal connection with said carriage, and guides at the upper end of said trackway for directing the tilting movement of said carrier for the dumping of the material from said sack.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a portable elevating or hoisting trackway comprising a pair of spaced rails, a carriage mounted for rolling movement along said rails, means for hoisting and lowering said carriage on said trackway, a material carrier mounted on said carriage and releasable for tilting movement for the dumping of material therefrom at the limit of the upward movement thereof, means for supporting said-traclnvay in normally inclined hoisting position, rollers carried at the lower end of said carriage and by said supporting means, and means for raisin said trackway with respect to said carriage, whereby the weight of the apparatus is borne directly by the said rollers for the movement of the same from one operative position to another.

7. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, a portable elevating trackway, a carriage movably mounted on said trackway and having'rollers at thelower end thereof,

means for elevating and lowering said carriage on sa1d trackway, a carrier p'ivotally -mounted on the upper end of said carriage 8. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, a portable elevating trackway, a carriage movably mounted on said trackway and having rollers at the lower end thereof,

means forelevatingand lowering said carriage on said trackway, a carrier pivotally mounted on the upper end of said carriage and releasable for tilting movement for dumping at the limit of the upper move ment of the carriage, and means on the car riage and engagin with the trackway for elevating the latter with respect to the carriage whereby the weight of the apparatus is carried directly by said rollers when moving the apparatus from one point to another, and releasable means for retaining the trackway elevated with respect to the carriage.

9. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, means to provide a trackway, acarriage movably mounted on the trackway and extending into said means, means for elevating and lowering the carriage on the traokway, a carrier pivotally mounted on said carriage and releasable for tilting movement to dump at the limit of the upper movement of the carriage, and means projecting from the upper end of the track way for limiting the upward movement of the carriage and j for directing a tilting movement of the carrier.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

SAMUEL P. ERWIN. 

